Powered drills, whether portable or of the press type, conventionally utilize a gear-type chuck for holding the drill bit. While gear chucks are highly desirable for use on heavy-duty drills, specifically for commercial and industrial applications, nevertheless there has long existed a need for a simplified and less expensive drill chuck for use on smaller light-duty drills of the type utilized in home workshops and the like. While gear chucks have been successfully utilized on large numbers of light-duty drills, nevertheless the gear chuck is expensive which adds significantly to the cost of the overall drill. While most light-duty drills do not require a chuck possessing the durability and complexity of a gear chuck, nevertheless the lack of a suitable and less expensive alternative has necessarily resulted in continued use of gear chucks on light-duty drills.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved drill chuck which is substantially simpler and less expensive than a conventional gear chuck, and is thus particularly suitable for use on light-duty drills, such as conventional portable electric drills and light duty drill presses of the type conventionally utilized in home workshops and the like.
More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved drill chuck, as aforesaid, which is particularly adapted for attachment to portable drills, which can be manufactured efficiently and economically so that the resulting cost of the chuck does not constitute a significant part of the cost of the overall drill, which is extremely simple and dependable in operation, which permits secure gripping and driving of the drill bit for most light-duty applications, and which permits simple and inexpensive replacement of the tool gripping member when necessary.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with structures of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.